Gene Watson photo courtesy of Tamara Saviano.

In celebration of 50 years in country music, Gene Watson has re-recorded 25 of his classic hits to sound like the originals. Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits will be released February 14 on Gene’s own record label, Fourteen Carat Music, and features legendary steel guitarist Sonny Garish along with a band of players that re-created the original arrangements.

“I wanted these to sound as close to the originals as could be done,” Gene said. “I had to work so hard to capture them the same way I did them originally. All of these songs are in the same keys. I just thank the good Lord above that He’s let me keep my voice intact. In fact, I can probably hit the notes better now than I could back then. Whenever there was a question when I was re-recording these, we went back and listened to the original recording.”

The Watson family, made up of seven children, grew up moving from shack to shack as their father took logging and crop-picking jobs to make ends meet. Home became a converted school bus and Gene dropped out of school in ninth grade to help his family. He settled in Houston, where he developed a local following on the club circuit. Capitol Records picked up “Love in the Hot Afternoon” for distribution after hearing him perform and it became the first of Gene’s two-dozen Top 10 hits in early 1975.

“Seems like my career just kind of happened accidentally,” Gene says. “It was purely unintentional. Music was just a sideline. I was going to be playing and singing no matter what line of work I was going to do. I never did really have any high expectations out of the music business. Even today, I never know what to expect from one day to the next.”

Gene Watson is a survivor. He quit drinking in 1980 and quit smoking in 1990. He underwent surgery and survived colon cancer in 2000-01. Through it all, he continued to record one critically applauded collection after another. He was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2002. Continue Reading

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Thomas Rhett photo by Justin Nolan Key, courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

When your father is Rhett Akins, a lot of people assume you want to be just like him. But Thomas Rhett, Rhett’s son, was the exact opposite. He had every intention of taking a different career path.

“My whole life, I’d always loved music,” Thomas said. “My dad taught me to play basic chords on the guitar when I was about thirteen. He never bought me a guitar, I always played all of his hand-me-downs. I told myself I was never going to do music ‘cause my dad did it. I always wanted to do something different.”

Thomas made some half-hearted attempts at being a musician. His tunes were a far cry from his dad’s country lyrics. “I was in a punk rock band in middle school called The High Heeled Flip Flops and I was the drummer,” he said. “We were absolutely terrible. We made a record in my dad’s living room and our singer sang in a British punk accent. We were just stupid, immature preteens.” Continue Reading

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Gene Watson photo courtesy of Tamara Saviano.

To celebrate his 50th anniversary in country music, Gene Watson will release Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits on his own Fourteen Carat Music label on February 14. He has re-recorded 25 of his classic hits to sound like the originals. Sonny Garish, legendary steel-guitar player, returns for the recordings and is joined by a group of players that recreate the original arrangements.

“My first recording ever was on a little ‘ol independent label that was started up just for this recording session, Sun Valley Records,” Gene said. “Maybe I thought I could sell them at my shows or something. I wrote the record, ‘If It Was That Easy.’ It was not any good, but, boy, I thought that was something. I had my own record.”

In the music business, a major-label artist usually pays for their recording sessions though the label owns the recording. Gene’s classics are owned by four different corporations and so by re-recording them to sound like the originals on his own label, he now ‘owns’ them all himself.

“I wanted these to sound as close to the originals as could be done,” he said. “I had to work so hard to capture them the same way I did them originally. All of these songs are in the same keys. I just thank the good Lord above that He’s let me keep my voice intact. In fact, I can probably hit the notes better now than I could back then. Whenever there was a question when I was re-recording these, we went back and listened to the original recording.

Gene’s performances of hits such as “Fourteen Carat Mind,” “Love in the Hot Afternoon,” “Farewell Party,” and “Memories to Burn” have earned him the reputation as a ‘Singer’s Singer.’ Joe Nichols, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack and Randy Travis all count him as one of their idols. Continue Reading

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Edens Edge photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Have you made your New Year’s Eve plans yet? Check out where you can catch some of your favorite country stars ringing in 2012, both live and on TV:

Edens Edge will perform at the third annual “Bash On Broadway” in Nashville along with The Farm, Jeffrey Steele and headliner Lynyrd Skynyrd.The free show will take place on Broadway beginning at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and will be broadcast live to a national audience on Sirius XM Radio. GAC’s Storme Warren will serve as emcee.

The Band Perry will close out the year with a performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, as part of the Los Angeles celebration. The special will air on ABC December 31.

Rodney Atkins, Joe Nichols and Lauren Alaina will perform live from the Las Vegas strip during FOX’s American Country New Year’s Eve Live special. Hosted by Rodney Carrington, the special will also feature performances by Eli Young Band and Toby Keith and include coverage from the ball drop at New York City’s Time Square. Tune in to FOX at 11/10c December 31 to catch it.

Chris Young will be headlining a New Year’s Eve show at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sarah Darling will headline the 4^th annual New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop at Pier Parkin Panama City Beach, FL. Taking the stage at 10:45 p.m., Sarah will be the final performer before the 800-pound glowing beach ball begins its descent and final countdown to 2012.

The Grand Ole Opry will ring in 2012 with Friday and Saturday night Opry performances at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. John Conlee, Craig Morgan, Mandy Barnett, Jeannie Seely, Jimmy Wayne, Little Jimmy Dickens and Jean Shepard are all on the schedule for the December 30 show, while Little Jimmy Dickens, Jimmy Wayne, Jett Williams, Jan Howard, Mandy Barnett and Dailey & Vincent are all scheduled to appear on December 31.

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Country music stars sure love Twitter! This week, the Grand Ole Opry celebrates Little Jimmy Dickens’ 91st birthday, Martina McBride ponders her youngest daughter’s Christmas list, Chris Young and Frankie Ballard face last minute Christmas shopping and funny man Ray Stevens puts a certain 91-year-old on his list to Santa. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Country Tweets Of The Week.

Grand Ole Opry on WhoSay

Opry – Opry: Breaking News: @opry star Little Jimmy “Tater” Dickens parties with his Mr Tater Head birthday cake celebrating 91 …

Martina McBride: MartinaMcBride – On Ava’s list to Santa: chocolate fountain, popcorn machine, dippin’ dots maker, cotton candy machine! What the heck????

Chris Young – ChrisYoungMusic: Going Christmas shopping…. Someone pray for me…

Dierks Bentley on WhoSay

Dierks Bentley – DierksBentley: merry christmas from @bradpaisley and me. that was special brad… Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Billboard.com has released their list of the Top Country Artists of 2011. Artists are ranked based on album sales, song downloads and airplay, touring revenue, Social 50 chart action, ringtone sales and streaming data provided by Nielsen BDS. Congratulations to Taylor Swift for being named the Top Country Artist of 2011! What do you think of this ranking? Who’d top YOUR Top 50 list? Leave us a comment below!

1. Taylor Swift
2. Jason Aldean
3. Lady Antebellum
4. Zac Brown Band
5. Blake Shelton
6. The Band Perry
7. Rascal Flatts
8. Kenny Chesney
9. Brad Paisley
10. Luke Bryan
11. Keith Urban
12. Miranda Lambert
13. Sugarland
14. Eric Church
15. Scotty McCreery
16. Toby Keith
17. Thompson Square
18. Chris Young
19. Billy Currington
20. Tim McGraw Continue Reading

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Wynonna Judd photo courtesy of Curb Records.

Wynonna Judd has added her name to the growing list of celebrities participating in the 1 for All campaign designed to speak out in support of the First Amendment. As part of the campaign, Wynonna will participate in Free To Tweet, a day-long online celebration of First Amendment rights on December 15. During the tweetathon, Americans are encouraged to tweet their support of the First Amendment using the hashtag #FreeToTweet. Blake Shelton and Joe Nichols have also signed on to the campaign.

“My success in music would not have been possible without freedom of expression,” Wynonna said. “It’s an honor for me to join in supporting the 220^th anniversary of Bill of Rights Day.”

Free To Tweet will also give high school and college students the opportunity to win one of 22 $5,000 scholorships. All they have to do is tweet creatively about the First Amendment. More information can be found at FreeToTweet.org. Continue Reading

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Luke Branquinho photo by Mike Copeman, courtesy of PRCA.

If ever there was a reason for Luke Branquinho to shake his booty at the Thomas & Mack Center, this was it.

Branquinho – who routinely performs the celebration dance in the arena following fast times – won his third world title and first since 2008. He came out on top in the pivotal average race after a 4.7-second run that earned a sixth-place check in front of 17,720 fans during Round 10 of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on Saturday.

Championship Saturday at the Wrangler NFR featured a relatively equal number of veteran champions and gold-buckle newcomers. Branquinho was joined in the veterans category by saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy and barrel racer Lindsay Sears. Newcomers to the world champion club included bareback rider Kaycee Feild, team ropers Turtle Powell and Jhett Johnson, tie-down roper Tuf Cooper and bull rider Shane Proctor.

A trio of steer wrestlers had a strong chance to win the world going into the final round, but Branquinho earned the average title with a time of 41.9 seconds on 10 head. He claimed checks in nine of 10 rounds to earn a Wrangler NFR record $146,779 in his event. That pushed his season total to $234,518 – more than $56,000 ahead of second-place Shawn Greenfield, who also took second in the average.

“Winning one is amazing, but winning three – I can’t even explain it,” Branquinho said. “Just to be in the situation to win one, let alone three, is an amazing feeling.”

Branquinho saw his two closest competitors – Greenfield and Jason Miller – break the barrier for 10-second penalties in Round 10.

“Those guys were going in there knowing they had to win good in the rounds to stay ahead in the average and get the money they needed,” Branquinho said. “They were taking a chance, you know. If I was in their situation, knowing that I had to win good in the go-rounds, I maybe would have clipped the barrier, too. But, that’s just rodeo. It happens day in and day out in rodeo, and unfortunately for those two, it happened in Round 10 at the NFR.”

GAC celebrated the union of rodeo, country music and Wrangler in December by broadcasting the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo live, December 1-10 at 10/9c each night. Plus, eight-time All-Around Champion, Trevor Brazile played host to Suzanne Alexander and Joe Nichols on his ranch, deep in the heart of Texas in our special, Inside the WNFR 2011. Whether you are new to the sport or a die-hard fan, this must-see show gives you the 4-1-1 on all the rodeo event categories from Steer Wrestling and Barrel Racing, to the death-defying Bull Riding event.

Watch streaming highlights from each round of the WNFR here »

Check out our WNFR photo gallery, updated daily with photos from each round »

In his fourth Wrangler NFR, Cooper didn’t have the week he might have dreamed about, but he still won $46,731 and held off a fierce challenge from fellow Texan Cody Ohl and Idaho cowboy Matt Shiozawa. Cooper took sixth in the final round with a 9.6-second run and finished seventh in the average.

“We didn’t have the Finals that we were expecting, and if you look back on paper, that’s the ones we were expecting,” Cooper said. “It’s definitely worked out the way we wanted it to, and it all works out in the end.

“Everything’s going to change from this point on. We’re trying to take the steering wheel and do the driving instead of being along for the ride. I’ve got a big responsibility to a lot of people, and I’m going to try to do the very best job that I can.”

Cooper won $192,042 on the season — $18,266 ahead of Shiozawa, who won the average title for the first time in his five trips to the Finals.

One cowboy who didn’t have to sweat it out on Saturday was Feild. After winning or splitting the win in five of the first nine rounds, he locked up his first world championship. But he still had some unfinished business heading into Round 10. He was within spitting distance of the Wrangler NFR average record set in 2008 by Justin McDaniel, and he held a slim lead in the Ram Top Gun Award standings over saddle bronc rider Jesse Wright.

Mission accomplished.

Feild topped Carr Pro Rodeo’s MGM Deuces Night for 87 points to win an event record sixth Finals go-round and top the average record by 1.5 points.

“Like I said, I wanted to come out here and dominate,” Feild said. “Beating the average record wasn’t my goal coming in, but through the week I looked up the score and knew what I would have to do to beat it. So, I kind of made that my goal.”

Winning a Ram truck thanks to his $179,327 – a Wrangler NFR record in bareback riding and for any cowboy competing in a single event – was just icing on the cake for a year in which Feild earned an event record $319,986.

Feild wasn’t the only one setting Wrangler NFR records.

Team ropers Powell and Johnson bested the year-old earnings record ($120,419 set by Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith in 2010) with $125,625 during their 10 days in Las Vegas. To put that in perspective, Powell entered the Wrangler NFR with just $69,782 won, while Johnson had $71,487. The two placed in seven rounds and won the average titles as Powell went from 13^th to first in the heading world standings and Johnson went from 12^th to first in the heeling standings.

It’s the first world title for each of the ropers, Powell from Stephenville, Texas, and Johnson from Casper, Wyo.

“I told Jhett this morning we should have met for breakfast at 5 o’clock, because we were both laying there staring at the ceiling,” Powell said. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of backing in the box in the 10^th round at the NFR with the championship on the line, but it’s a lot different than I expected. That’s the hardest steer I’ve ever run I my life.”

Johnson had a tough angle for his heel loop and caught just a single hind leg as the team finished sixth in the round with a time of 10.0 seconds. Clay Tryan and Travis Graves failed to place in the round, but took third in the average and finished a close second – less than $8,000 behind the leaders.

“When Turtle’s rope went on, that steer shot back to the right, which put me in a bad position,” Johnson said. “I was just trying to find a place to get a shot then. I knew I had to catch him. It wasn’t the loop I’ve always dreamed about in that situation, but I got him.

“I didn’t think I’d ever get one (a world championship). I’m a lot closer to the end of my career than the beginning.”

After leading the world standings nearly all season, Proctor found himself in a close battle with three-time World Champion J.W. Harris that left the gold buckle in doubt down to the final two bull rides of the Wrangler NFR. When Harris bucked off in the final round, Proctor was assured of the world title. Unfortunately, Proctor was bucked off and stepped on by his draw, Powder River Rodeo’s Black Attack. Suffering a broken left arm, Proctor lay motionless in the arena for several minutes before being carried out by the Justin Sportsmedicine Team. He was X-rayed at the arena and surgery is being arranged.

Proctor finished fourth in the average and amassed $238,249 in earnings. Harris finished the year with $209,361 after earning $78,317 at the Finals. Wrangler NFR rookie L.J. Jenkins claimed the average title by riding six bulls for 501 points.

Muncy, the 2007 world champion, placed sixth in the final round with an 81.5-point ride aboard 2009 PRCA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year Spring Planting to hold onto second place in the average race and fend off Jesse Wright for his second world championship.

Muncy earned $94,471 during his 10 days in Las Vegas and edged Wright by just $8,540 after Wright earned a Wrangler NFR record $160,962 in the event. Wright also topped the average record – by 1.5 points – set by his brother Cody in 2010. Despite all that, it was Muncy who claimed the gold buckle.

“I just had to focus on myself and I couldn’t worry about what Jesse was doing,” Muncy said. “It was awesome to watch him ride; I’ve never seen someone spur over a horse’s head like he did. He had a heck of a week, and I’m thankful to have another gold buckle.

“The first time I won the world, it was my first year and I was really going hard and everything fell into place. I didn’t really know how hard you have to work to get another one. This took a lot of work, and it means a lot to me.”

Lindsay Sears locked up her second barrel racing world title with a 13.75-second run in Round 10 on Saturday. She took second in the round, locked up the average title and finished the year with $238,864. When it was all said and done, she won the title by more than $55,000 over second-place Brittany Pozzi.

53rd annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo
Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev.
December 10, 2011
Tenth round

Bareback riding: 1. Kaycee Field, Payson, Utah, on Carr Pro Rodeo’s MGM Deuces Night, $17,885; 2. (tie) Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, and Clint Cannon, Waller, Texas, 86, $12,404 each; 4. Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., 85.5, $7,500; 5. Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 85.0, $4,615; 6. Cody DeMers, Kimberly, Idaho, 83.5, $2,885; 7. (tie) Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., and  Wes Stevenson, Lubbock, Texas, 82 each; 9. Jason Havens, Prineville, Ore., 80.5; 10. Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 75.5; 11. (tie) Brian Bain, Culver, Ore.; Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas; Steven Peebles, Redmond, Ore.; Matt Bright, Azle, Texas, and Royce Ford, Briggsdale, Colo., NS. Average: 1. Kaycee Feild, Payson, Utah, 860.5 points on ten head, $45,865; 2. Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., 833.5, $37,212; 3. Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, 827.5, $29,423; 4. Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., 824.0, $21,635; 5. Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 820.0, $15,577; 6. Clint Cannon, Waller, Texas, 817.5, $11,250; 7. Cody DeMers, Kimberly, Idaho, 803.5, $7,788; 8. Jason Havens, Prineville, Ore., 775.5, $4,327; 9. Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 736.5 on nine head; 10. Wes Stevenson, Lubbock, Texas, 713.5; 11. Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas, 640.5 on eight head; 12. Matt Bright, Azle, Texas, 542.5 on seven head; 13. Brian Bain, Culver, Ore., 485.0 on six head; 14. Royce Ford, Briggsdale, Colo., 380.0 on five head; 15. Steven Peebles, Redmond, Ore., 329.0 on four. World standings: 1. Kaycee Field, $319,986 (single-season record); 2. Will Lowe, $235,134; 3. Bobby Mote, $180,672; 4. Steven Dent, $161,924; 5. Casey Colletti, $155,672; 6. Ryan Gray, $137,257; 7. Cody DeMers, $115,285; 8. Clint Cannon, $112,226; 9. Brian Bain, $108,200; 10. Steven Peebles, $100,972.

Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore., and Mickey Gee, Wichita Falls, Texas, 3.6 seconds, $16,010 each; 3. (tie) Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., and Casey Martin, Sulphur, La., 4.0, $9,087 each; 5. Jake Rinehart, Highmore, S.D., 4.1, $4,615; 6. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 4.7, $2,885; 7. Sean Mulligan, Coleman, Okla., 5.0; 8. (tie) Todd Suhn, Hermosa, S.D., and  Seth Brockman, Wheatland, Wyo., 5.7 each; 10. Shawn Greenfield, Lakeview, Ore., 13.5; 11. Olin Hannum, Malad, Idaho, 13.9; 12. Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 14.0; 13. Billy Bugenig, Ferndale, Calif., 14.9; 14. Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo., 17.5; 15. Stockton Graves, Newkirk, Okla., NT. Average: 1. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 41.9 seconds on 10 head, $45,865; 2. Shawn Greenfield, Lakeview, Ore., 50.1, $37,212; 3. Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore., 50.7, $29,423; 4. Jake Rinehart, Highmore, S.D., 53.5, $21,635; 5. Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo., 54.3, $15,577; 6.   Billy Bugenig, Ferndale, Calif., 56.6, $11,250; 7. Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 71.8, $7,788; 8. Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., 40.8 on nine head, $4,327; 9. Seth Brockman, Wheatland, Wyo., 43.0; 10. Sean Mulligan, Coleman, Okla., 57.8; 11. Todd Suhn, Hermosa, S.D., 62.5; 12. Mickey Gee, Wichita Falls, Texas, 67.7; 13. Casey Martin, Sulphur, La., 56.0 on eight head 14. Stockton Graves, Newkirk, Okla., 37.6 on seven head; 15. Olin Hannum, Malad, Idaho, 41.6. World standings: 1. Luke Branquinho, $234,518; 2. Shawn Greenfield, $178,420; 3. Jason Miller, $177,455; 4. Trevor Knowles, 167,860; 5. Dean Gorsuch, $141,857; 6. Billy Bugenig, $125,107; 7. Jake Rinehart, $124,123; 8. Mickey Gee, $96,747; 9. Casey Martin, $93,496; 10. Olin Hannum, $93,059.

Team roping: 1.  (tie) Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn./Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., and Spencer Mitchell, Colusa, Calif./Broc Cresta, Santa Rosa, Calif., 3.6 seconds, $16,010 each; 3. Colby Lovell, Madisonville, Texas/York Gill, Memphis, Tenn., 3.8, $10,673; 4. Jake Barnes, Scottsdale, Ariz./Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas, 6.9, $7,500; 5. Matt Sherwood, Pima , Ariz./Cory Petska, Marana, Ariz., 8.6, $4,615; 6. Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas/Jhett Johnson, Casper, Wyo., 10.0, $2,885; 7. Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont./Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 11.2; 8. Brandon Beers, Powell Butte, Ore./Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M., 20.2; 9. (tie) Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas/Patrick Smith, Midland, Texas; Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz./Cesar  de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz.; Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz./Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas; Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas/Martin Lucero, Stephenville, Texas; Brady Tryan, Huntley, Mont./Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan.; Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga./Brad Culpepper, Poulan, Ga., and Riley Minor, Ellensburg, Wash./Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., NT. Average: 1. Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas/Jhett Johnson, Casper, Wyo., 57.5 seconds on nine head, $45,865 each; 2. Jake Barnes, Scottsdale, Ariz./Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas, 72.4, $37,212; 3. Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont./Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 79.7, $29,423; 4. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas/Patrick Smith, Midland, Texas, 48.1 on eight, $21,635; 5. Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn./Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., 56.5, $15,577; 6. Matt Sherwood, Pima , Ariz./Cory Petska, Marana, Ariz., 40.1 on seven, $11,250; 7. Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga./Brad Culpepper, Poulan, Ga., 46.8, $7,788; 8. Brady Tryan, Huntley, Mont./Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 53.8, $4,327; 9. Colby Lovell, Madisonville, Texas/York Gill, Memphis, Tenn., 35.4 on six head; 10. Spencer Mitchell, Colusa, Calif./Broc Cresta, Santa Rosa, Calif., 21.3 on five head; 11. Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas/Martin Lucero, Stephenville, Texas, 25.8; 12. Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz./Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas, 36.1; 13. Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz./Cesar  de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz., 46.0; 14. Brandon Beers, Powell Butte, Ore./Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M., 32.9 on four head; 15. Riley Minor, Ellensburg, Wash./Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 32.2 on three head. World standings (headers): 1. Turtle Powell, $195,407; 2. Clay Tryan, $189,649; 3. Matt Sherwood, $159,706; 4. Chad Masters, $150,013; 5. Trevor Brazile, $144,751; 6. Jake Barnes, $139,760; 7. Derrick Begay, $134,043; 8. Erich Rogers, $132,236; 9. Brady Tryan, $129,061; 10. Luke Brown, $122,334. World standings (heelers): 1. Jhett Johnson, $197,112; 2. Travis Graves, $189,649; 3. Cory Petska, $170,472; 4. Jade Corkill, $152,976; 5. Patrick Smith, $144,751; 6. Walt Woodard, $139,775; 7. Kory Koontz, $135,070; 8. Cesar de la Cruz, $134,043; 9. Jake Long, $129,061; 10. Martin Lucero, $122,334.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, 87.5 points on Bar T Rodeo’s Eight Ball, $17,885; 2. Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa, 86.5, $14,135; 3. Tyler Corrington, Hastings, Minn., 84, $10,673; 4. Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, S.D., 83.5, $7,500; 5. Jacobs Crawley, College Station, Texas, 82.5, $4,615; 6. Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M., 81.5, $2,885; 7. Ty Atchison, Jackson, Mo., 81; 8. Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 80; 9. Bradley Harter, Weatherford, Texas, 77; 10. (tie) Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La.; Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La.; Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D.; Chuck Schmidt, Keldron, S.D.; Sam Spreadborough, Snyder, Texas, and Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Mont., NS. Average: 1. Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 848.5 points on 10 head, $45,865; 2. Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M., 801.0, $37,212; 3. Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa, 747.0 on nine head, $29,423; 4. Bradley Harter, Weatherford, Texas, 708.0, $21,635; 5. Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D., 571.5 on seven, $15,577; 6. Jacobs Crawley, College Station, Texas, 544.0, $11,250; 7. Ty Atchison, Jackson, Mo., 528.5, $7,788; 8. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, 505.0 on six head, $4,327; 9. Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, S.D., 488; 10. Tyler Corrington, Hastings, Minn., 412.5 on five head; 11. Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Mont., 371; 12. Chuck Schmidt, Keldron, S.D., 328 on four head; 13. Sam Spreadborough, Snyder, Texas, 228.5 on three head; 14. Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La., 83.0 on one head; 15. Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La., 79.5. World standings: 1. Taos Muncy, $249,914; 2. Jesse Wright, $241,374; 3. Wade Sundell, $223,974; 4. Cody Wright, $214,142; 5. Bradley Harter, $169,769; 6. Chad Ferley, $116,050; 7. Jesse Bail, $108,301;  8. Tyler Corrington, $98,823; 9. Jacobs Crawley, $95,633; 10. Cody DeMoss, $78,891.

Tie-down roping: 1. Clif Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 7.4 seconds, $17,885; 2. Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 7.5, $14,135; 3. Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, 8.1, $10,673; 4. (tie) Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, and Tyson Durfey, Colbert, Wash., 8.7, $6,058 each; 6. Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 9.6, $2,885; 7. Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho, 9.8; 8. Timber Moore, Aubrey, Texas, 10.6; 9. Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 12.8; 10. Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 15.9; 11. Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., 16.9; 12. (tie) Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La.; Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas, Cody Ohl, Hico, Texas, and Scott Kormos, Teague, Texas, NT. Average: 1. Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho, 88.3 seconds on 10 head, $45,865; 2. (tie) Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, and Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, 89, $33,317 each; 4. Tyson Durfey, Colbert, Wash., 89.2, $21,635; 5. Timber Moore, Aubrey, Texas, 97.4, $15,577; 6. Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 99.9, $11,250; 7. Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 100.6, $7,788; 8. Scott Kormos, Teague, Texas, 82.7 on nine head, $4,327; 9. Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 83.3; 10. Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., 99.4; 11. Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 99.7; 12. Cody Ohl, Hico, Texas, 64.9 on eight head; 13. Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 82.8; 14. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 75.1 on seven head; 15. Clif Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 48.0 on six head. World standings: 1. Tuf Cooper, $192,042; 2. Matt Shiozawa, $173,776; 3. Cory Solomon, $158,963; 4. Ryan Jarrett, $149,230; 5. Tyson Durfey, $139,852; 6. Cody Ohl, $139,763; 7. Hunter Herrin, $136,965; 8. Clint Cooper, $132,957; 9. Adam Gray, 130,336; 10. Trevor Brazile, $123,841.

Barrel racing: 1. Jane Melby, Backus, Minn., 13.71 seconds, $17,885; 2. Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 13.75, $14,135; 3. Angie Meadors, Blanchard, Okla., 13.94, $10,673; 4. Jeanne Anderson, White City, Kan., 13.99, $7,500; 5. Christina Richman, Glendora, Calif., 14.08, $4,615; 6. Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 14.09, $2,885; 7. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 14.21; 8. Jill Moody, Letcher, S.D., 14.30; 9. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas, 18.80; 10. Jody Sheffield, Ogden, Utah, 18.83; 11. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas, 18.94; 12. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 19.03; 13. Tammy Fischer, Ledbetter, Texas, 19.14; 14. Britany Fleck, Mandan, N.D., 19.15; 15. Sue Smith, Blackfoot, Idaho, 24.26. Average: 1. Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 139.50 seconds on ten runs, $45,865; 2. Christina Richman, Glendora, Calif., 142.20, $37,212; 3. Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 142.95, $29,423; 4.Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 145.29, $21,635; 5. Jeanne Anderson, White City, Kan., 146.68, $15,577; 6. Jody Sheffield, Ogden, Utah, 150.15, $11,250; 7. Angie Meadors, Blanchard, Okla., 151.24, $7,788; 8. Tammy Fischer, Ledbetter, Texas, 151.40, $4,327; 9. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas, 153.44; 10. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 154.65; 11. Jane Melby, Backus, Minn., 155.47; 12. Jill Moody, Letcher, S.D., 163.54; 13. Britany Fleck, Mandan, N.D., 172.38; 14. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas, 173.46; 15. Sue Smith, Blackfoot, Idaho, 175.91. World standings: 1. Lindsay Sears, $238,864; 2. Brittany Pozzi, $192,725; 3. Sherry Cervi, $183,838; 4. Lisa Lockhart, $159,710; 5. Carlee Pierce, 136,274; 6. Jane Melby, $122,994; 7. Brenda Mays, $120,269; 8. Jody Sheffield, $118,218; 9. Christina Richman, $113,926; 10. Angie Meadors, $112,892.

Bull riding: 1.  Wesley Silcox, Santaquin, Utah, 90.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Outlaw, $17,885; 2. (tie) L.J. Jenkins, Porum, Okla., and Tyler Willis, Wheatland, Wyo., 87.5, $12,404; 4. Seth Glause, Cheyenne, Wyo., 85.5, $7,500; 5. Tate Stratton, Kellyville, Okla., 84, $4,615; 6. Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., 79.5, $2,885. 7. Trevor Kastner, Ardmore, Okla., 75.5; 8. Clayton Savage, Cheyenne, Wyo., 75; 9. 9. (tie) Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash.; Jacob O’Mara, Prairieville, La.; J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas; Clayton Foltyn, El Campo, Texas; Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, Texas; Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah and Cody Whitney, Asher, Okla., NS. Average: 1. L.J. Jenkins, Porum, Okla., 501 points on six head, $45,865; 2. Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., 491.0, $37,212; 3. Tyler Willis, Wheatland, Wyo., 423.5 on five head, $29,423; 4. Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash., 399.5, $21,635; 5. J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas, 353.5 on four head, $15,577; 6. Jacob O’Mara, Prairieville, La., 345.5, $11,250; 7. Clayton Savage, Cheyenne, Wyo., 318.0, $7,788; 8. Trevor Kastner, Ardmore, Okla., 303, $4,327; 9. Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, Texas, 269 on three head; 10. Seth Glause, Cheyenne, Wyo., 257.5; 11. Tate Stratton, Kellyville, Okla., 250.5; 12. Wesley Silcox, Santaquin, Utah, 180 on two head; 13. Cody Whitney, Asher, Okla., 178.5; 14. Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah, 172.5; 15. Clayton Foltyn, El Campo, Texas, 85.5 on one head. World standings: 1. Shane Proctor, $238,249; 2. J.W. Harris, $209,361; 3. L.J. Jenkins, $161,314; 4. Bobby Welsh, $154,372; 5. Jacob O’Mara, $151,706; 6. Tyler Willis, $146,558; 7. Wesley Silcox, $133,149; 8. Chandler Bownds, $121,562; 9. Cody Whitney, $108,088; 10. Seth Glause, $105,473.

Coverage and standings provided courtesy of the PRCA and ProRodeo.com.

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Taos Muncy photo by Greg Westfall, courtesy of the PRCA.

New Mexico cowboy Taos Muncy turned in the best regular season of his career, but he had mustered only a split of third and two fourth-place checks in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo’s first six rounds.

The 2007 world champion changed that on Wednesday when he rode Korkow Rodeos’ Blew Apart for 86.5 points to win Round 7 in front of 17,180 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center. The win moved him from third to second in the pivotal average race and pushed his Finals earnings to $41,971.

“I was just hoping to stay on, really,” Muncy said. “That was a real nice horse that I hadn’t really seen much before. He had bucked off some pretty good guys, so I was excited to draw him.”

Muncy leads Cody Wright by nearly $18,000 in the world standings, but Cody’s little brother, Jesse, is the one he’s watching in his rear-view mirror. Jesse Wright placed third in Round 7 and leads the average race by a wide margin – 34.5 points – over Muncy.

“Anytime you win, it’s real important,” Muncy said. “I didn’t have a bad weekend, but it’s awesome to get a go-round buckle. Winning a round at the biggest rodeo in the world means a lot.”

GAC is celebrating the union of rodeo, country music and Wrangler in December by broadcasting the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo live, December 1-10 at 10/9c each night. Plus, eight-time All-Around Champion, Trevor Brazile plays host to Suzanne Alexander and Joe Nichols on his ranch, deep in the heart of Texas in our special, Inside the WNFR 2011. Whether you are new to the sport or a die-hard fan, this must-see show gives you the 4-1-1 on all the rodeo event categories from Steer Wrestling and Barrel Racing, to the death-defying Bull Riding event.

Watch streaming highlights from each round of the WNFR here »

Check out our WNFR photo gallery, updated daily with photos from each round »

Winning the round meant a lot to Wrangler NFR rookie Erich Rogers and his veteran partner, Kory Koontz.

“Winning that round tonight felt so good,” Rogers said after turning in a 3.7-second run with Koontz. It was just the third check of the week for the pair, but their second straight after splitting fourth place with a 3.9-second run in Round 6. “I’ve thought about taking that victory lap so many times.” Continue Reading

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Chandler Bownds photo by Greg Westfall, courtesy of the PRCA.

Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year Chandler Bownds celebrated twice in front of 17,277 fans on Tuesday night at the Thomas and Mack Center.

The Lubbock, Texas, cowboy turned in an 89-point ride on Rookie Night at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo to win Round 6 and move to fifth in the world standings. It’s been feast or famine for Bownds, who won Round 2 with a 91-point ride on Robinson Pro Rodeo’s RMEF Bugle and won on Tuesday, but failed to make the eight-second whistle in the other four rounds.

The top rookies in each of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events and the top Women’s Professional Rodeo Association barrel racer were all recognized with their Montana Silversmiths buckles during the performance on Tuesday.

“I’ve had a little tough luck this Finals; I slapped my first bull and my fifth bull,” Bownds said. “But every time I ride, I hope to win the round, and I’ll take whatever I can get when I ride.”

Bownds earned $17,885 on Tuesday for his winning ride on Sutton Rodeos’ Crystal Springs Peach. He and bullfighter Darrell Diefenbach each took a hit from the bull following the ride. Bownds was left with a “good-sized hematoma on my butt, but it will be all right. I’ll be able to keep riding; it’s just a popped blood vessel.

“I had a good bull from the Suttons, and he came around left to start and then went back around to the right,” Bownds said. “He hung me out there at the end, and I had a bad get-off and he threw me over his outside shoulder.”

GAC is celebrating the union of rodeo, country music and Wrangler in December by broadcasting the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo live, December 1-10 at 10/9c each night. Plus, eight-time All-Around Champion, Trevor Brazile plays host to Suzanne Alexander and Joe Nichols on his ranch, deep in the heart of Texas in our special, Inside the WNFR 2011. Whether you are new to the sport or a die-hard fan, this must-see show gives you the 4-1-1 on all the rodeo event categories from Steer Wrestling and Barrel Racing, to the death-defying Bull Riding event.

Watch streaming highlights from each round of the WNFR here »

Check out our WNFR photo gallery, updated daily with photos from each round »

World-standings leader Shane Proctor rode for 86 points on Tuesday and split third place with Tyler Willis. He retained his lead in the standings and moved up two spots to fourth in the average race as he tries to hold off three-time World Champion J.W. Harris in the Wrangler NFR’s final days.

Now that he’s survived a traditionally slow start, four-time World Champion Bareback Rider Bobby Mote is ready to bank a few extra bucks for Christmas. He got the ball rolling with a third-place check in Round 5 and gave it a huge shove forward with a first-place check worth $17,885 on Tuesday.

Mote topped Classic Pro Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Wise Guy for 87 points to easily win the round and push his Wrangler NFR earnings to $28,558. He’s seventh in the world standings and third in the average race after six rounds. Mote moved his Wrangler NFR bareback riding record to 22 round victories with the win.

“That horse has been around for quite a while, and he’s a winner,” said Mote, who saw Steven Dent finish third in the first round on the same horse. “Typically, if somebody who rides good has that horse, they’ll be in the 90’s or high 80’s. That’s what you need here; you need a great horse, because they’re all so good.”

Utah cowboy Kaycee Feild turned in an 84.5-point ride to finish third in the round and maintain his lead in both the world standings and the average race. In fact, he’s on pace to break Justin McDaniel’s Wrangler NFR average record of 859 points on 10 head, set in 2008.

Highmore, S.D., cowboy Jake Rinehart had earned less than $7,000 in the first five rounds of steer wrestling, but turned in his best run of the week and stopped the clock at 3.6 seconds and claim the first-place check in Round 6.

“That was my main goal, to break into the three-second mark,” said Rinehart, who rides his 19-year-old horse, Eight Ball. “I needed to be a heck of a lot quicker, and just to get a time in the threes was great. I knew that steer left hard and ran good. I knew if I got a good start tonight, I could cover him up pretty quick. As soon as I left the corner (of the box), I felt like I had a great start.”

Luke Branquinho placed second for the third time and continued his streak of placing in each of the rodeo’s six rounds. He’s first in the world standings, first in the average race and moved into first in the Ram Top Gun standings.

Branquinho leads Feild $80,048 to $78,462. The cowboy or cowgirl who wins the most money during the Wrangler NFR in a single event will earn the Top Gun award – which includes a new Ram truck.

After clinching his record ninth all-around world championship in Round 4, Trevor Brazile had a quiet night on Monday. That was not the case in Round 6, however, as he and partner Patrick Smith won the round in team roping. The two turned in a 3.5-second run to claim the top spot, edging a pair of teams that tied for second with runs of 3.8 seconds.

“We’re going to keep going at them every night,” Brazile said. “We don’t rodeo all year to come out here and rope safe. We’re trying to win as much as we can, and make it an interesting race.”

The round proved to be historically fast in the team roping, as teams had to be four-flat or better to win a check on the night, a first in Finals team roping history.

“When the tempo gets set like that, guys start to get even more fired up, but it also lets everyone be loose,” Smith said. “I think it actually relieves some of the pressure, because you know you’re going to have to turn it loose and try to be three seconds to place.”

Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Goin South propelled Wrangler NFR rookie Tyler Corrington of Hastings, Minn., to his first Finals victory on Tuesday. It was the second round win for Goin South, who carried Wade Sundell to victory in Round 1. Corrington marked the horse for 86 points, while Sundell topped him for 85.5.

“I just wanted to go out there and have fun,” said Corrington, who had failed to mark a qualified ride in each of the past two rounds. “That horse has been around for a while. I’d seen him quite a few times, and I always wanted to get on him. I was tickled to draw him.”

Taos Muncy, the 2007 world champion, took fourth in the round and continues to lead the world standings, while Jesse Wright holds a 36-point lead over Bradley Harter in the average race and sits fourth in the world standings.

Ryan Jarrett, the 2005 all-around world champion, picked up his first Wrangler NFR win in 2011 with a 7.4-second run in tie-down roping on Tuesday.

“I really didn’t change my game plan,” he said referring to his mindset after his 21.1-second run in Round 2. “I came in 14^th, and all I can do is go up. I just want to come across there, get close to the barrier and hope I draw a good one.”

Tuf Cooper continues to lead the world standings in the event. However, six-time World Champion Cody Ohl is first in the average and third in the world standings after finishing fourth in Round 6.

Three-time World Champion Sherry Cervi won Round 6 with a 13.93-second run to maintain her lead in the average race and the third spot in the barrel racing world standings behind Brittany Pozzi and Lindsay Sears. Pozzi is just fifth in the average, while Sears sits a close second behind Cervi.

“I knew it was really close,” Cervi said of a round in which the top four barrel racers were separated by just four-hundredths of a second. “It was a really good barrel race tonight. It’s been good every night, I think. There’s still a lot of rodeo left. I think we’re all giving it our best and trying to go as fast as we can every night.” Continue Reading

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